Not sure if I am putting this in the right place. It is looking more and more likely that Dh will be out of a job come August/September. He is looking for something else comparable before it happens. What kinds of things should I be doing to prepare for this? I work FT so that is a blessing right now. A big concern is that for me to carry dependents on my insurance would eat up about 1/3 of my take home pay. DH carries our 2 kids on his insurance right now. So I am worried about that. And we have very little savings due to so much medical spending for our oldest son who is disabled. We plan to put whatever comes from the taxes and that new tax rebate into savings. A bonus for us is that we rent from my parents at a reasonable cost and so we don't have to worry about mortages and stuff. We have 2 car payments and student loan debt that is in forbearance, but credit cards are not an issue. I am not freaking out but I want to be prepared. What kinds of things should I be doing to prepare? Luckily we have some time and have been warned that it is likely.

It sounds like you have a lot of your ducks in a row; maybe curb extra spending a bit. The main thing is for your DH to find a job before it happens. He should put out all feelers now. It's often easier to find a job while you are still employed than when you are unemployed.

you are extremely lucky to have the warning and time to prepare. when dh has been laid off, it was a situation where i was 5mths pregnant and unable to work and he turned up at work one day, and told they were moving and downsizing and that day was his last. less than a week later, my FIL who lives with us had a heart attack. it was a total disaster.

i would stock your pantry, stock up on toiletries etc, pay off any small debts you can before it happens, put money into savings if you have it spare, look into a new insurance policy, or check if your income alone would qualify you for medicaid and food stamps etc. If your son is disabled, have you ever looked into SSI benifits for him? if not, look into it and file for it.

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stay at home mom to my crazy toddler with sensory issues

maybe look into what kind of things the state of florida has to offer. here in pa we have CHIP its free health coverage for all kids up to age 18. any child that does not have coverage is eligible no matter what there parents make. our son has it and its wonderful coverage and its free. he has eye,dental,health, and free prescription. its allot better than what we have! that would help with some of ur worries.

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WIFE TO MIKE
MOTHER TO HUNTER 3YRS OLD AND HEATH BORN 9/22

Completely.

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if you husband isn't able to find a job before he is laid off, make sure he applies for unemployment immediately.

I would def. check into seeing if you qualify for gov. assistance. And if you don't right now, you may later if your husband gets laid off before finding another job. Keep that in mind. I think all states offer CHIP (childrens health insurance program). Try going to your state's medicaid website to get info. I don't know if you will qualify since you can get insurance for your children through work, but it is worth checking into. And also it is based on income, you may have to make a small co-payment for each visit.

Perhaps you could sell your cars and buy less expensive cars with cash to get out from under the car payments...beleive it or not, you can buy a reliable car for about 2 thousand dollars that will run for a good long time....

I don't know about your unemployment office, but here people who are in his situation can go to the unemployment office to get help with their resume and get some job leads even before they lose their job.

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When I suspected, correctly, that I was going to be laid off, I contacted my Employment Office through my state and talked to them BEFORE I was laid off. This helped me understand my rights and get "all my ducks in a row" so to speak before I met with my employers. In my case they were just trying to get me to quit and not have to deal with me collecting unemployment benefits and knowing my rights was very helpful in our meeting.